Former NBA superstar Kobe Bryant has added one very different piece of hardware to his bulging trophy cabinet.

The five-time NBA champion's Dear Basketball has won the Oscar for Best Animated Short at Monday's (NZT) Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

Bryant on stage with producer Glen Keane.
Photo credit: Reuters.

Bryant wrote the script for the short, which was based on the poem the Lakers great wrote for website The Player's Tribune after announcing his retirement in 2015.

It was produced by Glen Keane, best known for his work on Disney films The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast.

A perplexed-looking Bryant took to the microphone alongside Keane where he delivered a brief acceptance speech.

After switching to Italian to thank his family, the 39-year-old took a swipe at recent comments from Fox News host Laura Ingraham deriding NBA superstar LeBron James for vocalising his political and societal opinions.

"Basketball players are supposed to shut up and dribble. I'm glad we're doing much more than that," Bryant said with a grin.

Also nominated in the category were Garden Party, Negative Space, Lou, and Revolting Rhymes.